Amber jewelry is especially popular with the fair sex. Along with this natural and unusually beautiful natural stone, more and more often you can find jewelry made of artificial amber that looks very beautiful - sunny honey, transparent and even with some kind of spider or bug (small size) inside. The creation of such a stone became possible thanks to the level of modern technologies that allow you to imitate absolutely any natural stone. Jewelry and other products made from them are so natural that sometimes they cannot be distinguished from the real ones. From this material we will learn how to distinguish natural from artificial amber, about the characteristics of the stone and preparing it yourself.
Petrified Resin
To one of the oldest stones knownhumanity, can be attributed to amber. For many years (even centuries) it has been widely used and is used today for the manufacture of various jewelry and other luxury items. Formed millions of years ago and petrified, the resin captivates with its warm honey hue and mysterious inclusions. The most expensive specimens contain frozen insects or other inclusions.
Organic stone is mined in large volume on the territory of the Russian Federation. However, this is not a guarantee that compatriots will not purchase artificial amber instead of natural, because there are quite a few unscrupulous sellers.
What do they replace?
Today, natural amber is quite often replaced with a variety of materials. It is worth familiarizing yourself with some of their properties in order to further see the difference in what kind of stone it is: natural or artificial amber; and how to tell them apart.
| Name | Properties | How is it produced? |
| Pressed amber | Almost as good as natural stones. It has an uneven color, a large number of small bubbles. Possesses low transparency. | Produced from small amber or its waste. |
| Cowrie resin | Slightly softer than natural stone. It has a pronounced coniferoussmell. The inner part is more homogeneous, does not have wavy inclusions that would indicate many years of stratification. Quality processed cowrie resin achieves a greater resemblance to the original. | For production use the resin of modern coniferous trees grown in New Zealand. It is found in jewelry production, but is used for the production of furniture. |
| Copal |
Such artificial amber can hardly be distinguished even by an experienced jeweler. The stone is easier to melt, when heated, an unpleasant medicinal smell comes from it. Copal is more viscous and softer. |
Produced in small quantities from the resin of tropical trees. |
| Epoxy resin | A fairly well-known synthetic substance. Has a strong chemical odor that occurs with slight heat or friction. | A thermoplastic product that is produced by chemical combination and manipulation. |
| Plastic | Products made from this material are almost weightless. They have the correct structure without inclusions. With tactile contact, its artificial origin becomes apparent. | Produced by combining chemical elements. |
| Glass | Artificial glass amber has excessive transparency and color uniformity. Finished glass products significantly exceed the weight of the object, whichmade from genuine stone. Almost scratch resistant. | Produced by heating quartz sand to very high temperatures and instant cooling with the addition of impurities. |
In addition to the above materials, fake amber can be made from polyester, bakelite, casein, bernite, ambroide, polyburn, acrylic, faturan, celluloid. It should be noted that, despite the skill of jewelers, it is still possible to distinguish a genuine stone from a fake.
How to distinguish natural from artificial amber?
There are a huge number of reliable ways to distinguish a natural stone from a fake. A significant role in this is played by the unique physical and chemical properties of natural stone. Most often, substitutes do not have these qualities or show them in small quantities. Please note: real stones have low thermal conductivity, with tactile contact with amber, you can feel its warmth, glass products do not have this characteristic.
Fake stone has a greater hardness than natural, you can even feel it with your fingers. However, kauri and copal, on the contrary, have a softer texture. Let's find out how to distinguish real amber from artificial amber.
Visual inspection
First of all, it is necessary to conduct a visual inspection. The hallmark of natural stone is its extraordinary structure. Inhomogeneous structure, microcracks, inclusions - all thisspeaks of natural origin. Please note that glass products have increased transparency, they are distinguished by the play of light. Items made of plastic exhibit these properties to a lesser extent.
Fragrance
Fragrance features should be taken into account. In the original stone, the smell intensifies with heat, for example, due to friction. Another way to check the naturalness of the stone is to put a red-hot needle on a less visible area. The manipulations carried out will reveal the smell of rosin (a mixture of cloves and needles).
Electrostatic properties
The next step is to check the electrostatic properties. One of the main qualities of amber is its ability to attract small pieces of paper and villi after intense friction. Today, plastic products can be electrified, but with less force. Resins do not have this ability.
Ultraviolet study
You can distinguish natural from artificial amber using an ultraviolet lamp. In this case, the transparent stone will luminesce in blue, having different intensities. Smoky, more cloudy specimens under the influence of the lamp will sparkle with pale blue tints. The bone type of amber (white, opaque) luminesces milky white with a slight blue tint.
Folk way
In addition to modern methods of checking amber for naturalness, you can use the folk method. One of the easiest ways to check its authenticity is to place amber into a glass containing s alt water. In the event that the stone is natural, it will remain on the surface, while the fake will sink to the bottom.
How to make artificial amber?
Small and inexpensive interior decoration projects for an apartment or house using amber can give any room a unique amazing look. However, natural amber is too expensive to be used for home decoration, so not everyone can afford it. For this purpose, handmade artificial amber is perfect.
Imitation sun stone
In fact, it is not difficult to make an imitation of amber at home. This will take much less time than this process takes in nature. Here are two methods that can be used to make artificial amber. So how do you do it yourself? Let's take a closer look.
Method one
Let's prepare turpentine resin, rosin, shellac in a ratio of 1:1:2. Let's take a tin vessel, the walls of which we grease with oil, melt turpentine in it. As the material melts, shellac is added to it, while the consistency of the mixture becomes thicker and becomes white. After that, you should warm it up until it becomes transparent. As soon as this happens, pour in small portions into the mass, pre-melted rosin. Gradually, when heated, the mass will become even more transparent, the desired color can beget by choosing the appropriate shellac. Please note: the longer the mixture is heated, the more intense and darker the color will be. By the way, a stone prepared in such conditions will have a harder texture. If you want a softer consistency, add a little more turpentine.
The resulting fake amber can be cast or shaped by pressing. The stone can then be polished and ground. It must be remembered that such a composition is not sensitive to water, but can be dissolved in alcohol.
Second way
The second method is that artificial amber contains gelatin. The process of such an imitation of a stone is more laborious, because after the gelatin is poured into the bath, it must be sprinkled with finely crushed golden mica sparkles. After the resulting oil hardens, the procedure should be repeated again, and then several more times. After completion of the work, the newly minted stone should be covered with cherry varnish. By the way, this is the way restorers use in their work.
When making amber in this way (since the mass is initially quite liquid), for greater naturalness, you can add some small insect or leaf to it, imitating inclusions in this way. From the amber prepared by this method, you can make any jewelry, for example, pendants, beads, etc.
These methods will allow you to get artificial amber at home,as a cheaper raw material for jewelry than natural stone. However, this method should not be used for the preparation of products for industrial purposes, passing off such amber as a natural stone. Do not forget that the manufacture and sale of fakes in our country is a criminal offense.
